


An Invitation

by ErinHoltzmann



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Protective Holtzmann, erin is too good a person, holtzmann and erin go on a trip, holtzmann isn't quite herself but erin doesn't know why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-26 16:12:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7581073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinHoltzmann/pseuds/ErinHoltzmann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin is invited to a physics conference in Tampa and Holtzmann is the only one accompanying her, which leads to Erin examining her feelings toward Holtzmann.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Erin was the more hopeful one out of the two of them. Especially after what had happened in New York. There was undeniable proof ghosts were real and they could potentially pose a threat. Then the mayor announced they had all suffered from a shared illusion when terrorists had drugged the water. And since the portal had repaired all the damage when it had closed up, there was also no visible proof anything had ever happened.

Abby had been angry. The four of them had risked their lives to save New York (and the whole world) from certain destruction. Abby had almost died and if Erin had not jumped into the portal after her, there would be no one to be angry about this injustice.

Erin did not care much. Neither did Patty and Holtzmann. They had not forgotten how New York had thanked them and to them, this was enough. Moreover, more and more people came to them, seeking their help. Only Abby, in random fits of anger when someone left an insulting comment on their blog, lamented the fact they had not been made national heroes.

A few months after they had stopped Rowan, Erin was approached by one of her old colleagues from Columbia. He asked her to give a keynote lecture at a physics conference in Tampa, discussing her recent work. Dr Abby Yates was also welcome and it would be an honour to have the both of them at this conference.

Abby outright refused to go. No matter how much work Erin put into trying to convince her this offer was legit, Abby only kept reminding her how everyone at the Physics Department at Columbia had laughed at Erin when she had lost her job.

“People can change, Abby,” Erin reminded her over and over again, referring to their shared past.

But Abby wouldn’t hear of it and so Erin had to give up eventually. She knew Abby’s refusal to come with her was rooted deeper than her contempt for the scientists who had laughed at her all her life, but Erin was too good a friend to pester Abby with her past.

Holtzmann and Patty were less opposed by the idea of an all-expenses trip to Tampa. Abby was not happy with seeing them go, but declared they could do so if they wanted since Erin would not be allowed to go anywhere where free alcohol was offered without supervision. Erin giggled nervously and pretended not to know what Abby meant.

Secretly, Erin was glad she would not have to go alone. The reason why she had asked Abby to come with her in the first place was she dreaded facing the scientific community on her own, especially since her disgraceful dismissal from Columbia. Having Patty and Holtzmann with her was not the same as having the company of Abby but she was still thankful that she would have someone there to talk to.

On the evening before their departure, Erin received a call from Patty. Patty told her she would not be able to come with them to Tampa after all because there was a family emergency she had to deal with. Erin expressed her regret she could not go and wished her well.

It was only when she woke up the next morning she realised she would be spending the next three days alone with Holtzmann. Out of her three friends, Holtzmann was the last one she wanted to be alone with for an extended period. Over the last couple of months, Erin and Holtzmann had grown quite close, but Erin still had difficulties distinguishing between Holtzmann wanting to be friends with her and Holtzmann flirting with her. Erin’s palms turned sweaty when she considered what could happen over the next couple of days, worrying not so much about Holtzmann’s behaviour towards her but rather vice versa. This was a confusing situation and Erin was so lost in her thoughts that she forgot her hand luggage at home and had to send the taxi driver back so she could get it when they were already halfway to the airport.

Holtzmann was already waiting for her at the gate. Her duffel bag was too big to be considered hand luggage, but Erin did not ask her how she had managed to get it past security since the story she would get as a reply would most likely be made up.

Erin was one of the last people to arrive, so there were no seats left where she could sit down and wait for boarding. All she could do was stand in front of Holtzmann, who was lounging in one of the seats near the boarding desk.

“Sleep well?” Erin asked her, putting her small bag down.

“Scared of flying?” was Holtzmann’s inconclusive answer.

“Why? No. Why?” Erin stammered, taken aback by Holtzmann’s refusal of her attempt at small talk.

“You seem nervous.”

Erin could imagine Holtzmann saying this while smirking at her with her glasses pulled down to the tip of her nose. Only today Holtzmann wasn’t wearing any. Her outfit overall was more conservative than what Erin was used to from her. Her socks even matched. Maybe Erin’s constant lectures about the importance of this conference had made an impression on Holtzmann and she was trying to fit in. Even though Erin appreciated the gesture, she was not sure she wanted Holtzmann to change on her behalf.

“Do I?” Erin herself could hear that her voice was higher than usual. She swallowed. “Do I?” Calmer. Better.

Erin did not mind flying. She was familiar with the physics of a plane leaving the ground, staying 30,000 feet up in the air, and coming back down in one piece. An accident was highly unlikely.

No, Erin lately had been nervous more often than not in the presence of Holtzmann. There was always something to help her explain this nervousness – a TV interview she had to give in a couple of days or a dentist appointment. Today it was flying. Usually, no one remarked on her nervousness, so these well-prepared excuses were something to justify her feelings in front of herself. Yes, she could imagine herself being nervous when having to go up in a plane. Sitting next to Holtzmann in a cramped space definitely did not have anything to do with it.

“There’s no reason to be nervous yet,” Holtzmann pointed out calmly. “The most dangerous aspect of flying is the landing. You should be fine for the next two or three hours.” She winked at Erin.

Erin only nodded before answering the flight attendant’s boarding call.

*

The weather in Tampa was warmer than in New York. Erin had tiny droplets of sweat on her forehead from the short walk to the taxi rank. The organisers of the conference had arranged for every speaker to be picked up from the airport by a car. Erin had counted on sharing it with other speakers but had to discover that the keynote speakers had been sent a private car.

The flight had been remarkably uneventful. Erin had insisted on taking the aisle seat and Holtzmann had agreed to sit by the window with a shrug of her shoulders. During take-off, Holtzmann had looked at Erin out of the corner of her eye and Erin had made sure that she had displayed signs of uneasiness whenever the plane had adjusted its direction, speed or height.

For two hours, Holtzmann had been asleep and Erin had gone over her lecture for the conference. She had meant to do this several times, learning her lines by heart so she would not forget any of them when she was faced with a hall full of renowned scientists. But then she had been distracted by the sleeping Holtzmann next to her. She had never seen her this peaceful before.

“You’re just making sure she doesn’t have any nightmares,” Erin had told herself while her eyes had kept wandering from the pages on her lap to Holtzmann’s relaxed face.

Then, during the landing, Holtzmann had made teasing remarks about how they were approaching the runway too fast and were about to crash into it and Erin had hit her on the arm playfully and had told her to shut up.

The memory of this brought a blush to Erin’s face now and she pressed it against the window of the taxi in an attempt to cool down, but the glass was just as moist as everything else in Florida.

The hotel in which the conference took place was a long, flat building with two storeys and an entrance hall with a fountain it its middle. Erin already spotted some people she knew while walking to the reception. As much as she was looking forward to this event, she was also a bit nervous to meet the people again whom she had considered her colleagues for many years.

“Name?” the man at reception asked, not looking up from the computer screen in front of him.

“Dr Erin Gilbert,” Erin introduced herself with a smile.

“Are you here for the conference?” The receptionist finally looked at her.

“Yes,” Erin confirmed.

He typed her name into the computer. “Party of … three?” His eyes looked questioningly between her and Holtzmann.

“Yes, well … one of us couldn’t make it.”

“Hm.” He typed again. “Would you mind if I downgraded you to a smaller room? So, instead of two queen-size beds and one king-size bed you would have … one king-size bed?”

“That would be no problem at all,” Holtzmann assured him before Erin could protest.

“Actually …” She meant to tell the receptionist she would prefer two queen-size beds, but Holtzmann interrupted her again.

“I’ll take the keys, thank you.”

“Actually …,” Erin started again, but a man behind them cleared his throat and Erin stepped aside.

“Don’t you want two separate beds?” Erin asked Holtzmann in a whisper once they were in the elevator.

“It’s take what you can get with these big conferences,” Holtzmann shrugged. “But if you want to go back downstairs and ask him again …” Her finger hovered over the ground floor button.

Erin blushed. “Yes, I might ask him.” She pushed past Holtzmann when the elevator stopped on their floor. “But first I need to get out of this blazer.”

Her walk was a short one because Holtzmann was still holding the keys to their room and Erin had to stop in front of the door.

Holtzmann smirked. “Why? It’s a very nice blazer.”

Erin tried to hide her fluster by glaring at Holtzmann. “The door, please.”

Holtzmann made no move to unlock it.

“Holtzmann, please. I’m hot and sticky and I would really love to be taking a shower right now.”

Erin was not made for this Floridian weather and her blouse was sticking to her torso uncomfortably.

“You look cute when your face is red,” Holtzmann told her out of the blue.

Her words barely registered with Erin. “Yes, thank you.”

She pointed at the door and Holtzmann finally gave in.

It was only later in the shower Erin realised what Holtzmann had said to her. She was used to all sorts of flirtatious pranks but she could not remember if Holtzmann had ever complimented her so directly. Had she called her _cute_ or was her memory playing tricks on her, making her believe she had heard things she _wanted_ to hear?

“I’ll be going down to the welcome dinner later,” Erin informed Holtzmann once she had finished her shower. “Do you want to order something?”

Holtzmann raised her head from the bed on which she lay sprawled out like a starfish. “Why? I’m coming with you.”

Erin tried to imagine Holtzmann at a formal dinner but thought this overstepped the mark. “You don’t have to come,” she stammered. “You’ll only be bored there.”

“I want to go.” Holtzmann sat up straight.

Erin bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Are you –”

But Holtzmann interrupted her. “Abby!”

Erin looked at her in confusion.

“Abby told me to keep an eye on you,” Holtzmann clarified. “Something about alcohol.” She waved her hand dismissively.

“Whatever Abby told you, it’s not true.” Erin crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively.

“I’m gonna go and get ready,” Holtzmann ended their conversation.

“I still need to –”

But Holtzmann shut the door to the bathroom before Erin could finish her sentence.

*

“We really should get going now if we don’t want to be late,” Erin told Holtzmann through the thin door between them. Nervously, she glanced at her watch. “It’s staring in ten minutes.”

There was no answer.

“I’m just gonna leave without you” Erin tried to lure Holtzmann out of the bathroom.

The answer was only a non-committal sound.

“Fine.” Erin grabbed her purse and put on a pair of high heels. “See you downstairs. Or not.”

She had already suspected that Holtzmann did not really want to go to dinner with her, but she was slightly annoyed Holtzmann had not simply told her so. Erin could understand Holtzmann’s wish to stay in their room, but she could not comprehend why she was not honest with her.

The dining hall was already busy with people exchanging greetings and business cards and _how do you do_ ’s and hugs and kisses. There was a seating plan and Erin was relieved to discover she would share a table with Dr Holter, the man who had invited her in the first place and one of her ex-colleagues from Columbia.

“Erin.” He stood up as soon as he saw her and shook her hand. “So glad that you could make it.”

Erin sat down next to him. “I’m glad you invited me, thank you.”

“I’m sorry to see you had to come on your own. We would have loved to hear from your colleagues as well.”

“Actually, there are two of us,” Erin told him. “But my colleague is upstairs in our room; she doesn’t feel well.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that.” Dr Holter did not look sorry at all. “I hope she feels better tomorrow. Our table will be empty though.” He nodded at the two empty chairs next to Erin. “Doesn’t mean we won’t have a good time, right?” He winked at Erin.

Erin swallowed. “So tell me, how’s your wife?”

“We’re no longer together,” he told her. “She thought I was having an affair with one of my students.”

“And were you?” Erin would not put it past him.

“No, of course not.” He did not look at her when he said it.

Over their starters, they discussed Dr Holter’s work. He had advanced to the position of Deputy Head of Department and was involved in several research projects. A couple of months ago, Erin would have killed a man to be a part of most of them. Now she only feigned interest and took small sips of white wine out of a glass in front of her. Her eyes began to wander lazily across the room while Dr Holter looked through his phone, searching for some email he wanted to show her.

Erin’s eyes locked onto a figure who had just entered the room. At first, she thought she had spotted someone who looked remarkably like Holtzmann, but when she made eye contact, a spark of recognition lit up the woman’s face and she made her way toward Erin.

“Erin, are you listening to me?” Dr Holter tried to win back her attention.

“Yes, sorry.” Erin turned to him. “You were saying?”

Knowing that Holtzmann was making her way toward them, Erin tried to look anywhere but the direction of the entrance. Since Erin had met Holtzmann, she had displayed an ever-changing array of extravagant outfits, which had often captured Erin’s attention. But tonight, Holtzmann had outdone herself and Erin tried to hide her blushing face by staring intently at the screen of Dr Holter’s phone.

As was Holtzmann’s nature, she did not wait for anyone to invite her to join them at the table but let herself fall into the empty chair next to Erin.

Dr Holter looked at her. “And you are …?”

Erin cleared her throat. “This is Jillian … Dr Holtzmann,” she told him. “My … colleague.”

Dr Holter was obviously confused by her sudden appearance and did not know how to talk to her. Erin had frequently observed men struggling to communicate with Holtzmann.

“Erin told me you weren’t feeling well,” he finally said. “I’m glad to see you’re better.”

“Oh no no, I just took some time to get ready.”

Erin dared to glance at her, but did not turn around fully. Holtzmann’s hair, which she always wore in a bun at the back of her head, was smoother than Erin had ever seen it. Where unruly curls usually escaped, Holtzmann had pulled them back to form a strict chignon. No strand was out of place.

“She came here with me,” Erin explained quickly. “I mean, I came here with her.”

“And she works with you?” Dr Holter asked.

“That I do,” Holtzmann answered instead of Erin.

Erin finally looked at her, well aware that she was blushing even more while she did so. “You look nice,” she managed to say.

Holtzmann beamed at her.

The suit she was wearing fit her extremely well. Erin had no idea how Holtzmann could survive this Florida weather in a white blouse and a black blazer. She certainly was sweating in her short-sleeved shirt. Even Holtzmann’s tie, which she wore loosely around her neck, was black as opposed to her usually colourful ones. Only the pair of black trousers vanished inside chunky ankle boots. If Holtzmann hated one thing, it was uncomfortable shoes.

“And what is it that you do?” Dr Holter asked somewhere to the left of Erin.

“She’s a  … she does our …,” Erin tried to answer but her mouth was dry all of a sudden.

Holtzmann gave Dr Holter her most winning smile. “I build stuff.”

“That’s an understatement,” Erin interjected. “Without your inventions we wouldn’t have been able to save New York.”

“You’re an engineer then?” Dr Holter tried to clarify.

“Yes,” Erin and Holtzmann said in unison.

“Then I’m sure you’ll find some of the talks tomorrow of great interest,” Dr Holter went on.

Holtzmann shrugged before turning her attention to the plate of food in front of her.

For the rest of the evening, Erin felt the blush creeping back into her face whenever she looked at Holtzmann. She kept quiet for most of the conversation, not ever addressing Holtzmann directly and only sometimes giving Dr Holter monosyllabic answers. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing like it had when she had discovered Rowan’s plan.

“You might want to hold back with the wine,” Holtzmann told her over dessert. “Important day tomorrow and all.”

Erin had not realised how much she was drinking.

“Time for bed, I’d say.” Holtzmann stood up and helped Erin out of her chair. “I’ll make sure that she gets to bed safely,” she promised Dr Holter.

“I’m not tired,” Erin protested.

“You’ll thank me tomorrow,” Holtzmann said with a smirk.

Their arms intertwined, Holtzmann led Erin back to their room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin's lecture does not go as she had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to thank all of you, the first chapter got almost 1,000 hits in the first 24 hours and received more kudos than anything I had previously written. Here's the second (and last) part of the fanfic, but I'm working on a longer Holtzbert story.

Erin woke up the next morning to discover Holtzmann had wrapped herself around her during the night. Holtzmann’s arm was draped across Erin’s chest and their legs were intertwined. Careful because she did not want to wake Holtzmann, Erin turned around to look at her watch. It was already past ten.

“Oh no,” she hissed and tried to get out of bed but was met with difficulties when she tried to detangle her legs from Holtzmann’s.

Holtzmann grunted in her sleep.

“Holtzmann, wake up,” Erin tapped Holtzmann on the shoulder. “It’s late. Wake up.”

Without opening her eyes, Holtzmann batted Erin’s hand away.

“Holtzmann, move aside,” Erin implored her.

Her wishes were ignored when Holtzmann cuddled up to her. Erin tried to push her away, but was met with resistance when Holtzmann strengthened her grip. Carrying around their equipment had made Holtzmann much stronger than Erin and it was nothing to her to pin Erin to the mattress with one arm.

“Let me go,” Erin ordered, trying to remove Holtzmann’s arm. She managed eventually but only because Holtzmann loosened her grip.

“Thank you.”

“No, babe, come back to bed,” Holtzmann said, her voice heavy with sleep.

Calling her _babe_ , that was also new.

“I have things to do,” Erin told her with a sigh.

Holtzmann rolled her eyes. “Your lecture isn’t until four.”

“But other people’s lectures are now,” Erin reminded Holtzmann. “We might actually learn something.”

“Okay,” Holtzmann conceded. She jumped out of bed and headed off to the bathroom.

“Hey, I was about to use that,” Erin protested.

“Better luck next time,” Holtzmann said with a yawn before she shut the door behind her.

Erin could still taste the alcohol in her mouth as she tried to decide which outfit to wear for her lecture. Secretly, she was thankful Holtzmann had made sure she had gone to bed before she had tried to hit on Dr Holter. Even though she always denied alcohol had any effect on her, Abby was right when she had said Erin needed supervision when drinking. There was a video recording – in their final year at college, Erin and Abby had gone to a party and after a couple of drinks, Erin had hit on one of the men there. Luckily, Abby had stopped her before she could finish undressing herself in front of everyone.

 _But Dr Holter wouldn’t have been in danger, would he_? a voice at the back of her mind pointed out.

Erin’s heart began to beat faster when she spotted Holtzmann’s black blazer, which lay draped across a stool. Slowly, she reached out a hand and stroked across the soft fabric.

“Erin?”

Erin flinched and quickly pulled back her hand. “Yes?”

“You can use the bathroom now.”

“Thank you.”

Erin rushed past Holtzmann before Holtzmann could ask her what she had been doing.

*

A list of talks she wanted to listen to in one hand and a notepad in the other, Erin went looking for one of the conference halls in the hotel. Holtzmann, who was dressed like her old self again in a vest, a colourful shirt, and wide trousers, walked next to her.

“What’s down there?” Holtzmann tried to gain Erin’s interest for an empty corridor.

“Probably more rooms,” Erin mumbled.

“Or …,” Holtzmann paused dramatically, “a ghost.”

“Have you ever heard of a haunting in Flordia?”

“Yes.” Holtzmann stopped dead in her tracks. “Haven’t you?”

“Actually I have,” Erin admitted absent-mindedly. She had finally spotted the right room. “Are you coming?”

They arrived five minutes before the talk was scheduled to start and even though there was plenty of room left in the front, Holtzmann immediately sat down in the last row and put her feet up on the table. Erin sat down next to her and opened her notepad.

An hour later, Erin felt a headache beginning to grow and as soon as the talk was finished, she went looking for a vending machine so she could buy a bottle of water. Her hands buried in the pockets of her trousers, Holtzmann leaned against the wall next to the machine.

“And did you enjoy the talk?” she asked.

“Yes,“ Erin answered. “Did you?“

But before Holtzmann could answer, they were interrupted by loud snickering behind them. Erin, who had had a hard time at school and always assumed people were laughing at her, glanced over her shoulder. A man and a woman were standing there, pointing at her and Holtzmann.

“There they are,” the woman whispered, loud enough for Erin to hear.

“Do you mean … they’re the girls?” the man asked her in the same tone of voice.

Erin was irked by them using the term _girls_ to refer to them, but chose to ignore it since the man and the woman had probably recognised them from one of the TV interviews they had given. She finished choosing and paying for her drink and blocked out the giggling behind her as much as she could. Holtzmann was not fazed by it at all. Instead, she continued to talk to Erin about the talk they had just listened to and how she wished modern physics would take more risks.

Erin took a deep breath. “It’s too costly to build a new lab whenever something goes wrong,” she said loudly when Holtzmann had finished.

Holtzmann rolled her eyes in response.

They rounded a corner and Erin was glad to be out of sight of the man and the woman. Something about them had bothered her, but she did not want to talk about it with Holtzmann since her companion had not even glanced at them.

During the next talk, Erin was distracted by the people around her. For some reason, she thought everyone was turning their heads more often than necessary to look at her. A part of her was sure she was making it up. But when a man nudged the man beside him and pointed at Erin two rows behind them, she could not ignore it any longer.

“Holtzmann,” she hissed, “is it just me or are people staring at us?”

Holtzmann, who had been doodling on the edge of Erin’s notepad, raised her head to scan the room. “You’re a famous physicist; you had the same effect on me when we first met.”

Despite her feeling of uneasiness, Erin had to smile. “I’m not a famous physicist.”

“You are, or you wouldn’t be the keynote speaker,” Holtzmann pointed out.

Feeling better already, Erin managed to get through the rest of the talk as well as the lunch break. She tried to ignore the other people at the conference as best as she could until she decided to spend the last hour before her lecture in her room to go over her notes one more time. Holtzmann told her she wanted to listen to a talk about advances in particle physics but promised she would be there in time to cheer Erin on.

*

Erin’s lecture would take place in the biggest conference hall in the hotel. Erin had never spoken in front of so many people; she had also never been this nervous before. The hall was already almost full when she got there and so many people tried to get into the room she had no chance of spotting Holtzmann in the crowd.

“Erin, there you are,” Dr Holter welcomed her.

Erin smiled at him nervously.

“Are you ready to amaze us all?” he asked, escorting her to the front of the hall were a stage had been set up.

“I’ll do my best,” Erin promised him.

Up on stage with only a speaker’s podium to hold on to, Erin felt small and insignificant. She lay out her notes in front of her and sometimes glanced up to scan the room for Holtzmann, but there were so many people there and she felt so nervous and overwhelmed she soon gave up and tried to focus on her lecture.

The hall was unusually quiet. Erin had thought she would have to ask for silence but everyone present was staring at her intently.

“Hello.” Erin cleared her throat, then started again. “Hello, my name is Dr Erin Gilbert, I’m a particle physicist, and co-author of the book _Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal_.”

During the last few months, sales for the book had skyrocketed and Erin had been stopped on the street a couple of times by people asking her for an autograph. She was no longer afraid to mention the book in public. In fact, she had begun to feel quite proud of it recently.

But when she mentioned the title of the book, a faint giggle rose up from the audience. Erin could see their amused faces. Had she given them the wrong title out of nervousness?

“I am here today to talk to you about recent developments in the field of the study of the paranormal.”

Another giggle, this time louder.

Erin looked up from her notes. In the last row, she spotted the man and the woman from earlier – they were snickering and pointing at her. To gain some time, Erin pretended to look through her notes. A blush was spreading across her face. Maybe Abby had been right; maybe they had only invited her to laugh at her.

“Over the last few months, I was able to gather extensive data and fill holes in my previous research.”

Someone in the back snorted with laughter. Erin decided to grit her teeth and face the sceptics head-on.

“Yes, sir?” she asked into the direction the snort had come from. “Do you have a question?”

The answer was simply a shouted, “You’re a fraud.”

Erin cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

“You’re a fraud,” the man repeated.

Erin shielded her eyes against the spotlight, which was illuminating the stage, and scanned the auditorium. The man remained hidden.

“Why do you think that?” Erin asked into the room.

Some people giggled.

“You’re trying to tell us ghosts are real.” It was a woman’s voice this time. “This is a physics conference and you’re turning it into a freak show.”

“I was invited by Dr Holter,” Erin said calmly, even though she could feel the blood rushing to her head. “I was under the impression the offer was sincere.”

Dr Holter in the first row stood up. “My offer was indeed very sincere,” he said while walking toward the stage, “and I am deeply sorry for these interruptions.”

“If you are not interested in what I have to say,” Erin continued, “you are more than welcome to leave.”

“Oh no, please,” Dr Holter turned to the audience, “that won’t be necessary. I’m sure Dr Gilbert’s lecture will steer clear of the _paranormal_ from now on.”

“No, it won’t actually,” Erin interrupted him. “You invited me here to give a lecture on my recent work knowing very well what my field of research is.”

“I didn’t think you would literally try to convince us ghosts exist,” Dr Holter said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.

“Then what were your expectations?” Erin felt ambushed. She had expected that, after New York, the scientific community had finally decided to listen to them. But Abby had been right all along. “What did you think my field of research was?”

“Well, first of all, I thought you had outgrown your Ghost Girl antics,” Dr Holter shrugged.

Erin was so shocked she did not know what to say.

“I invited you here because I had hoped you had finally grown up,” Dr Holter went on. “I was mistaken. But I will give you another chance; why don’t you continue with your lecture and try to convince us that you’re not crazy.”

Erin had thought she had left accusations like these behind her, but she had also learned how to ignore them. She nodded. Dr Holter went back to his seat.

“As I was saying,” Erin continued, “I was able to collect extensive data through my work with the Ghostbusters –”

Dr Holter began to laugh loudly. “I’m sorry; I don’t think this is going to work.”

“I have a question.” Holtzmann, in the third row on Erin’s left, raised her hand.

Erin had never been happier to see her.

“Could you perhaps tell us how you managed to save New York and how you risked your life to protect your friends?”

“This is an academic conference, not a creative writing class,” Dr Holter pointed out.

“Yes, this is an academic conference,” Holtzmann agreed with him, “and not a kindergarten. This is a platform for people to present their academic findings, whether you like it or not.” She said this while lounging in her chair, relaxed as always.

“Okay.” Dr Holter threw his hands in the air.

Erin hoped Holtzmann had managed to convince him to let her finish. She smiled at Holtzmann thankfully before turning back to her notes.

“Okay,” Dr Holter said again. “Do you want to know why I invited her?” He turned to Erin. “Do _you_ want to know why you’re here?”

“You invited me?” Erin offered. “To give a talk on my recent work?”

“No.” Dr Holter shouted and it echoed through the whole hall. “Are you really that stupid? What did you do to get your degree? Suck your professor’s –”

“Hey!”

Holtzmann had jumped to her feet. All eyes in the hall were on her, but she was focused on Dr Holter. Erin had never seen her angry before and now she hoped Holtzmann’s anger would never be directed toward her. Holtzmann appeared to be taller than she actually was, her hands were balled into fists, and her eyes were glittering with anger. She looked ready to kill a man.

Dr Holter was not intimidated by Holtzmann, maybe because he was a good foot taller than she was, maybe he was set on telling the truth now, but he only glanced at Holtzmann briefly before continuing.

“I invited you here as a joke,” he confessed. “Do you think anyone in the scientific community takes you seriously? You are a joke; your whole research is a joke. I thought we could listen to your lecture but what you are trying to tell us is more preposterous than I had expected.”

Before Erin could react to what Dr Holter had said, Holtzmann had rushed to the front where he was standing. She punched him in the face and when his arms shot up to protect himself, she landed another punch in his stomach. The audience gasped in unison and Erin jumped down from the stage.

“Holtzmann, stop,” she shouted, but Holtzmann was already on her way to Erin.

“Are you all right?” she asked Erin.

“Yes, I am,” Erin answered, glancing over Holtzmann’s shoulder. “Is he all right?”

Dr Holter was lying on the floor, groaning in pain.

Holtzmann shrugged. “Who cares? Are you all right?” she repeated.

Erin focused on her. “Yes, I am.”

Holtzmann smiled at her. “Let’s go then.”

She took Erin’s hand and led her out a side door. Erin followed her, glad that she did not have to face the scientists in the hall.

*

“Thank you.” Erin shut the door to their room. “I can’t believe Abby was right.”

“No, she wasn’t,” Holtzmann objected. “There are enough people who know we’re not liars … that you’re not a liar.” She still sounded angry.

“I know, I know,” Erin said to calm Holtzmann down. “Don’t worry; I’m not upset about Dr Holter.”

Holtzmann looked at her in surprise. “You’re not?”

Erin shook her head. “No. Not at all.”

“Why not?” Holtzmann seemed genuinely surprised by Erin’s reaction to the whole incident.

Now it was Erin’s turn to shrug. “Who needs them? If they think we’re frauds, let them.” She blushed. “Also being treated that way … it was worth it. I mean …” Erin took a deep breath. “I liked it when you defended me.”

Holtzmann smiled at her warmly. “I couldn’t let that man talk to you like this.”

“That’s not how I meant it.” The adrenaline from earlier was still rushing through Erin’s veins. “I liked it … because …”

Erin had no idea how to finish this sentence without the possibility of alienating Holtzmann. Her opposite moved her hand to urge her to go on.

Erin could not.

“Because?” Holtzmann prompted, her smile turning into a grin.

“Because you looked hot doing it,” Erin said quickly, staring at the ceiling. “Okay?”

Holtzmann lay a hand on Erin’s hip and pulled her close. She raised an eyebrow. “I know.”

Erin let out a small giggle.

“I’m glad it worked.”

“How do you mean?”

“I have been hoping for a similar confession all weekend.”

“Oh?” Erin could not think of anything else to say.

“Can I kiss you?” Holtzmann asked with untypical shyness.

“Yes.”

Erin’s answer was drowned by Holtzmann’s lips on hers. They were much softer than she had expected and much more careful, even though a slight brush of Holtzmann’s teeth against Erin’s bottom lip told her Holtzmann was holding back. Erin was pulled even closer until Holtzmann held her in a firm embrace.

“Your lips are really soft,” Erin mumbled.

“Thanks.”

Holtzmann kissed her again and simultaneously pushed her hand between them to open the single button on Erin’s blazer. Erin let Holtzmann push the blazer off her shoulders and continue with unbuttoning her blouse. Holtzmann had the buttons open in no time and Erin thought she must have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.

Erin had almost no experience, at least not when it came to women. Apart from two previous occasions, she had not yet had much opportunity to explore this part of her sexuality. She felt a bit nervous when she remembered the woman who was undressing her had to be much more experienced and she hoped Holtzmann would not be disappointed.

Holtzmann stroked softly across Erin’s naked stomach, which tickled Erin and made her giggle, so she briefly lost her train of thought. The hand on her stomach wandered higher up to cup one of her breasts.

“Oh,” Erin breathed out, “we’re touching.”

“Is that okay?” Holtzmann asked, immediately lowering her hand.

“Yes,” Erin decided after brief consideration.

“You sure?”

“Yes,” Erin repeated, this time with more force. In the spur of the moment, she leaned forward to whisper into Holtzmann’s ear, “I want you.”

Holtzmann smirked. “Now here’s something I’ve never heard before.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “Ha ha.”

“No, I’m serious.”

Erin waited for her to tell her about how many women had said this to her.

“I’ve been imagining hearing those words from you quite a lot lately.”

Erin felt a pull in the pit of her stomach.

“No need to blush,” Holtzmann told her. “It’s not the only thing I’ve been thinking about when it comes to you.”

Erin could feel her knees grow weak and she grabbed Holtzmann’s shirt so she would not fall. Holtzmann only giggled, a sound which Erin had never heard from her before.

“Tell me, Erin.” Holtzmann walked a few steps forward, manoeuvring Erin toward the bed. “Have you ever had sex with a woman?”

Erin let herself be pushed onto the bed, glad to be sitting. “Yes, I have.”

“Hm,” Holtzmann made before unbuttoning her own vest and shirt.

“What?” Erin asked her, trying to focus on Holtzmann’s face, but her eyes kept darting further down.

“Then the bar is quite high.” Holtzmann shrugged out of both garments and bent down to untie her shoelaces.” But I like a challenge.”

Erin quickly kicked off her own shoes. Then she watched Holtzmann undress herself until she was standing in front of her in nothing but boxer shorts and a sports bra. Erin, with her lacy bra, strangely felt overdressed.

Holtzmann leaned down to Erin. “Is there anything you haven’t done with a woman before?”

Erin gasped. “I’m not going to answer that.”

Holtzmann kneeled down in front of her and put a hand above Erin’s knee. “I can improvise,” she mumbled before softly moving her hand higher up Erin’s leg until it disappeared under her skirt. “I’m glad you’re not wearing tights today.”

 “You know,” Erin breathed as her heart began to race, “the weather here.” She tried to shrug but then Holtzmann’s fingers found their way to her pants and Erin shuddered in anticipation.

Holtzmann pulled down Erin’s pants in one swift movement. “Lie back,” she whispered.

Erin did as she was told, but she lifted her head slightly so she could watch Holtzmann pushing up her skirt.

“Do you want me to take it off?” she suggested.

But Holtzmann had already found the zipper and soon the skirt joined Erin’s pants on the floor. Holtzmann began to kiss Erin’s thighs and hips. Erin whimpered when Holtzmann sucked in some skin at the inside of Erin’s thigh and bit down. That would leave a mark.

While Erin was still recovering from the shivers which the bite had sent down her spine, Holtzmann was already moving on to the next part. Her tongue was warmer than Erin had expected; she moaned loudly when Holtzmann did it again and Erin raised her hips in an attempt to get more friction. Holtzmann used both hands to hold Erin down, but began to lick her fast. Erin’s eyes fell shut as she began to pant and moan.

She was almost embarrassed by how fast she came. She tried to bite down on her right wrist so she would not moan too loudly and draw attention to them, but she failed.

Holtzmann appeared from between Erin’s legs, licking her lips. She crawled on top of Erin and began to kiss her again. Erin, who was still dizzy from her orgasm, let herself be kissed.

“My bra is a bit uncomfortable,” Holtzmann whispered. “Do you mind if I take it off?”

Erin had thought she was past blushing or staring when it came to Holtzmann, but she did both now as Holtzmann pulled her sports bra over her head. Holtzmann did it with such ease and comfort that Erin sat up and unhooked her own bra in an attempt to keep up.

“You are allowed to touch me, you know,” Holtzmann smirked.

“Yes, of course.” Erin put a hand on Holtzmann’s shoulder.

“An odd choice,” Holtzmann teased her, “but we’ll make it work.”

She lay down on her back so that Erin was on top of her. A few strands of hair were coming loose, revealing Holtzmann had longer hair than Erin had thought.

“Give me your hand.” Holtzmann took Erin’s hand and put it on her upper thigh. “Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not … I’m not nervous,” Erin told her.

“Touch me,” Holtzmann said softly.

Now it was Erin’s turn to smirk. “I am touching you.”

Holtzmann gripped her wrist and pushed Erin’s hand between her legs. They both moaned in unison. Holtzmann let go of Erin’s wrist and Erin seized the opportunity to lift the waistband of Holtzmann’s boxer shorts and sneak her hand inside.

 _I_ am _getting the hang of this_ , Erin thought when Holtzmann moaned again.

She began to bend her fingers slowly, carefully brushing them against Holtzmann’s clit. Holtzmann looked at her, her eyes wide open.

“Can you do that a bit faster please?” she asked.

Erin shook her head. “I want you to kiss me first.”

Holtzmann pushed herself up and bit Erin’s neck. This was going to leave another mark.

“That wasn’t a kiss,” Erin pointed out.

“Are you going to argue with me about the definition of a kiss?” Holtzmann’s face was slightly pink as she lay back down.

Erin began to move her hand faster.

“Yes,” Holtzmann hissed. Her eyes were closed now. “Yes, like that.”

The spot on Erin’s neck Holtzmann had bitten pulsated as Erin watched her writhe beneath her. Most of her hair had now escaped from her bun and her face had gone from pink to red.

Just as Erin began to ask herself how she would be able to tell if Holtzmann was coming or not, Holtzmann buried her nails in Erin’s thigh and moaned deeply. Erin gasped when she could feel her come.

“You’re not as inexperienced as I had thought.” Holtzmann was still catching her breath.

“And you’re easier to please than I had expected,” Erin shrugged. “I guess we all learned something today.”

Holtzmann started to tickle her.

*

“Abby told me to wear the suit,” Holtzmann confessed later when they were cuddled together under a blanket. “Apparently you had a crush on one of your teachers in college and she always wore suits.”

Erin huffed. “I don’t know what Abby told you, but it’s not true.”

“Don’t worry, Erin, everyone has a crush on one of their teachers,” Holtzmann told her. “I had a crush on Dr Gorin.”

“Oh.” Erin felt jealous all of a sudden. “Are you and her …?”

“Erin, are you jealous?”

“No. Why?”

“I can tell when you’re lying; your nose wrinkles.”

“Well, and I can tell when you’re only saying things to tease me.”

“And yet you fall for it every time.”

“Only because it makes you happy.”

“To be honest, maybe I should ask Dr Gorin for a date.”

“Shut up.”


End file.
